Author: americalatinanews.com

Conspiracy theories: Why did Maduro fall so quickly?

Delcy and Jorge Rodríguez have been in secretive talks with Washington for months, The Telegraph suggested

Rumors, speculation, and conspiracy theories of all kinds are surfacing about who betrayed former Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro so that US troops could abduct him from Caracas and make him stand trial in New York.

 One of the hypotheses is the so-called “Doha Pact.” According to London’s The Telegraph, Maduro’s Jan. 3 capture was the culmination of a secret deal brokered in Doha, Qatar, between high-ranking Chavista leaders, who negotiated the “handover” to preserve their own political standing.

The report identifies siblings Delcy Rodríguez (now caretaker President) and Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez as the primary agents, who met with US envoys in Qatar as early as April and September of 2025. They allegedly proposed a transition that would leave the Chavista state apparatus intact while removing Maduro from power. In exchange, they would offer Washington full access to Venezuela’s oil and mining industries.

Observers highlighted the “lightning-fast” nature of the US raid and the minimal resistance as evidence that the military high command may have stood down as part of this unwritten understanding.

While Maduro remains in US custody in New York, Argentine Federal Prosecutor Carlos Stornelli has formally requested his extradition to Buenos Aires to stand trial for crimes against humanity under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows for the prosecution of grave human rights violations regardless of where they were committed. The motion stems from a 2024 case filed by the Argentine Forum for the Defense of Democracy (FADD), citing a “systematic plan of repression, torture, and forced disappearances” carried out by the Maduro regime since 2014. The FADD and Stornelli argue that the extradition is “urgent” to ensure he answers for the specific victims of his regime in the Southern Cone.

From aboard Air Force One, US President Donald Trump noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been in contact with Delcy Rodríguez, describing her as “willing to do what is necessary” to reform the country. If she does not comply with US demands —including the expulsion of Iranian and Russian interests— she could face a “bigger price” than her predecessor.

Additionally, US Attorney General Pam Bondi has stated that Maduro will face the “full wrath of American justice” in US courts. Legal experts suggest the US was unlikely to grant Argentina’s extradition request in the near term, as the 2020 narco-terrorism indictment carries a higher priority for Washington.

Maduro’s legal team, led by Barry Pollack, is expected to argue that their client is a “sovereign head of state” and thus immune from prosecution, which the US State Department has already rejected on the grounds that Washington did not recognize him as the legitimate president at the time of his capture after tampering with the 2024 elections.

The Rodríguez’s father —-Jorge Antonio Rodríguez demand—- was a Marxist guerrilla leader who died in 1976 while in police custody for the kidnapping of an American businessman. Delcy has famously said, “The revolution is our revenge for the death of our father.” This background granted them “untouchable” status within the Chavista ranks.

At 56, the new Interim President is a French-educated lawyer who has earned the nickname “The Tsarina” for her control over the economy. As Vice President and Oil Minister, she moved away from pure socialism toward “orthodox” economic policies (cutting spending, fixing the exchange rate) to halt hyperinflation. This pragmatism is why The Telegraph suggests the US sees her as a “viable” interlocutor.

Despite her designer clothes and diplomatic polish, she oversaw SEBIN (the intelligence service), leading to her being sanctioned by the EU and the US for human rights violations.

Jorge Rodríguez —a psychiatrist by trade— is considered the regime’s master negotiator. He has been the face of almost every “dialogue” with the opposition and the US over the last five years. His deep connections in Qatar and his ability to “speak the language of Washington” made him the logical choice to broker the terms of Maduro’s removal.

Maduro and his wife arraigned in New York court

Judge Hellerstein ordered that the Maduros receive proper medical attention

Former Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores formally pleaded not guilty to federal charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and weapons offenses during their arraignment on Monday in New York before Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

 Following his extraction from Caracas by US Special Forces, Maduro described himself as a “prisoner of war” and rejected the trial’s legitimacy. “I am the president of Venezuela, and I consider myself a prisoner of war. I was captured in my home in Caracas,” he said. He added that he was a “decent man” and “not guilty of anything I am accused of here.”

Maduro’s attorney, Barry Pollack, noted that his client has underlying health issues requiring medical care. Similarly, Cilia Flores is reportedly suffering from a “fractured or severely bruised rib” sustained during what her lawyer termed her “abduction.” Judge Hellerstein ordered that both receive immediate medical attention.

The US government claims that Maduro served as the leader of the “Cartel of the Suns,” a drug-trafficking organization composed of high-ranking Venezuelan officers. The couple faces counts of narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.

While lawyers did not seek bail, the next court appearance has been scheduled for March 17, 2026.

Absent Maduro and with Venezuela under caretaker President Delcy Rodríguez, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that his country intends to exert control via policy and quarantine rather than direct administration.

He also confirmed that the US military blockade on Venezuelan oil would remain until the new government removes foreign entities like Hezbollah and Iranian operatives from the hemisphere.

Maduro’s fall becomes campaign asset for Flávio Bolsonaro

Brazil’s TSE is withholding evidence of Lula’s ties with Maduro’s regime, which will come out anyway in the US, Eduardo Bolsonaro noted (R)

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s sons Eduardo and Flávio foresee the latter’s victory in this year’s elections after the ties between deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are exposed in the trial underway in New York.

“When Maduro fell, I texted Flávio Bolsonaro: you are elected president, because we know that a lot of things will come out of Maduro,” Eduardo was quoted as telling his Senator brother and presidential hopeful.

Brazilian political analysts see Lula became quite vulnerable, given his historical support for Maduro and his refusal to label the Venezuelan regime a “dictatorship,” making the Workers’ Party (PT) leader an easy target to be deemed an ally of an alleged narco-terrorist.

While Brazil’s career diplomats are wary of Maduro’s regime, the PT leadership remains ideologically loyal to the “Bolivarian” movement. Additionally, Lula has condemned the US raid as a “dangerous precedent” and a violation of Caracas’ sovereignty, a stance difficult to uphold with thousands of Venezuelan refugees celebrating in plain sight. In other words, Maduro’s fall has become an immediate “campaign asset” for the Brazilian Right.

Eduardo Bolsonaro predicted that Maduro’s trial would uncover damaging evidence of financial and drug-trafficking links between the Maduro regime and leftist movements in Brazil, thus boldening binary “us vs them” approaches. He also noted that Brazil’s judiciary has prevented these connections from becoming public knowledge, which will not be the case in New York.

“The TSE [Superior Electoral Court] censures the links between Lula and Maduro in Brazil, but the world will know about the connections between drug trafficking and the Lula regime,” Eduardo insisted.

Maduro pleading not guilty and calling himself a “prisoner of war” plus an “innocent” and “decent” man may not alter the Brazilian voter’s perception, the Bolsonaros hoped. Furthermore, Flávio reportedly wants Lula to follow suit on the deposed Bolivarian leader’s fate.

The Left focuses on anti-interventionism and international law, while the Right puts anti-communism and the restoration of democracy first.

While Trump has recently removed some tariffs on Brazilian products, the political relationship is strained. Trump’s warning that he will “do something” about countries harboring cartels or drug-producing regimes (like his recent threats toward Colombia and Mexico) is being watched closely in Brasília.

The regional picture has Brazil siding with Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay to condemn the Caracas raid. On the other end, Argentina’s Javier Milei is leading a rival block that fully supports Trump’s actions.